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In the spirit of all the recent TV/movie 're-imaging' of properties (Bionic Woman being the latest) I decided to recycle a post from way back in 2005. What TV shows do you watch regularly? Or maybe to update it - what's on your TiVo? As before, here are the ones I watch with a short explanation of each and why I like it.

And before somebody mentions it - I don't actually watch all these shows every week. Some I do, but many end up unwatched for weeks just saved on the TiVo until I either get around to finally watching them or I just delete them to free up space.

Mythbusters - Two Hollywood special effects guys debunk popular myths. Jamie Hyneman shows what your life could be like if you didn't settle down and have kids (this guys is a regular Renaissance man.) While it seems at times that the show has run out of really good myths to bust, it is still entertaining.

CSI - CBS's rating leader about crime scene investigators in Las Vegas. Two years later and me and the wife are still watching it, despite some episodes being overly dramatic.

Frontline - PBS long-running series of documentaries. In-depth information on tough subjects is still appealing.

The Colbert Report - Stephen Colbert lampoons pretty much every TV news show but especially Fox News. I laugh out loud in every episode. The Colbert Reports political wry commentary is hilarious, and the way he managed to outmaneuver a bunch of congressmen last year was outstanding. After getting several of them with creative editing the Democratic caucus advised all freshman Democrats to avoid his show. It is truthiness incarnate!

American Chopper - TLC's show about a father and son team who build motorcycles. This show has completely changed in the years it has been on. Gone are the seriously interesting tirades; replaced by 'made for TV' moments. The bikes are still cool, and it makes me want to try building one (despite knowing nothing about how it really is.)

NOVA - PBS science show that I have been watching since I was a kid. I'm using it now to try to impress my son on how interesting and important science can be. Of course I tell myself I'll be happy if he ends up being a literature or art history major, I figure a push towards some hard science isn't bad.

Chuck - An employee of the local Buy More (aka Best Buy) and Nerd Herd (aka Geek Squad) member named Chuck is sent a bunch of national intelligence secrets as images and merely watching them has burned them into his brain. The show is funny.

Reaper - Kid finds his parents have sold his soul to the Devil, and he now has to work to return wayward souls Hell. The devil is played extremely well, the kid is a geeky kind of straight man, and his buddy (they work together at a Home Depot-like place) is awesome. There is some cool comic chemistry in this show. The first episode was directed by Kevin Smith and is great - hopefully it can keep it up without him.

My Name is Earl - Earl is a petty criminal who converts to doing good to appease Karma. This show is funny, and in my opinion smarter than people give it credit for. Jaime Pressley is an amazing comic actress who deserved the Emmy she got earlier this year (she's hot, smart, and funny - shiver!)

Burn Notice - Summer show on USA about a CIA agent who is listed as untrustworthy and confined to Miami. This show is smart, funny, with some cool action and a little bit McGuyver. It won't run again until next summer, but I suppose it might be available in reruns?

Shark - A defense attorney turned prosecutor played by James Woods take on high-profile crimes for the LA County D.A.'s office. James Woods is a great actor and he really played this character well last year. Unfortunately every show this season has been weak - with poor dialog and crappy acting.

NCIS - Crime drama that features the Navy's Criminal Investigative Service. I don't always watch this one, but my wife does and sometimes I sit in. Like many genre drama series, this show is best when it stays away from recurring themes. Because the characters can't be all that complex (they exist only to give the crime drama something to float on), the shows about the characters lives fall short. CSI suffers from this as well.

NUMB3RS - A math genius helps his FBI-agent brother solve crimes. The premise was OK and the first season was OK, but the shtick is wearing thin. This one might get bumped from my TiVo.

Share: | Posted by scottsh on Monday October 08, 2007 - 3:32 PM | Category: TV | © 2007 SF Signal

NCIS

I thought I was the only one watching this show Scott! I can't seem to give up this show either. What is the draw? Characters? Mark Harmon? WHAT?!?!?! I don't get it... but I can't seem to stop!!!

Is NCIS my guilty pleasure?

Posted by tditto on Monday October 08, 2007 at 2:59 PM

"What do you watch on TV"

Why, science fiction of course! You?

Battlestar Galactica
Eureka
LOST
Heroes
Chuck

And the occasional movie.

Posted by jp on Monday October 08, 2007 at 3:21 PM

Battlestar Galactica
Reaper
Lost
Boston Legal
Gossip Girl
House
Chuck
Shark
The Office
My Name is Earl
Desperate Housewives
The Simpsons
South Park
Journeyman
Bones
Ghost Whisperer

Posted by rbuch on Monday October 08, 2007 at 3:40 PM

As an aside, Hyneman did settle down to have kids. He has a never-named or referenced wife and kids, who he has rigorously kept the spotlight away from. But they are there.

So:

Mythbusters
The Unit
Burn Notice
Life
Scrubs
House
Eureka
Heroes
LOST

Posted by Dave Klecha on Monday October 08, 2007 at 4:43 PM

i don't own a tv...so just down load.

Mad Men is really good.

Also saw Pushing Daisies which is good...

Get past the first 10 min about when he was a kid and into where he becomes a pie maker and starts working with a PI on murder solving....it gets better at that point.

IDK if they can keep up the atmosphere of the show though.

Posted by joshua corning on Monday October 08, 2007 at 6:46 PM

I don't always watch all this stuff and some of it is too new to say whether it will stay on my list, but here's mine:

Reaper
BSG
Heroes
4400
Journeyman
Pushing Daisies
Moonlight
The Office
Bionic Woman
Dr. Who
all the Mafia, ancient history and WW2 documentaries I can stand

Posted by Michael Natale on Monday October 08, 2007 at 8:01 PM

What the heck is a Tivo? This is Canada mate.

When I'm not writing what do I watch on TV?

Edmonton Oiler hockey games

Wrestling

G4 TV

The Rifleman

The Campbells

The evening news

old movies, since there hasn't been anything good on TV since Enterprise

Posted by Jim Shannon on Monday October 08, 2007 at 11:18 PM

I'll probably forget something:

Heroes
Chuck
Journeyman
Eureka
Lost
Bionic Woman, Reaper, and Pushing Daisies- though probably not for much longer.
The Office
30 Rock
Burn Notice
Psych
Monk
Stargate: Atlantis
Moonlight
Robin Hood
The 4400
Dead Zone
Blood Ties
Desperate Housewives

Thank goodness these aren't all on the same season schedule.

Posted by SciFiChick on Tuesday October 09, 2007 at 8:26 AM

Hook a PC to an HDTV and download your TV. American TV is all crap so why pay for cable/sat?

Posted by R on Tuesday October 09, 2007 at 9:17 AM

First, the daily media inputs:
The Daily Show
The Colbert Report
Countdown
BBC World News

Then, the essential entertainment:
Heroes
Reaper
Life
30 Rock
The Office
Pushing Daisies (and if ABC breaks this show, I will weep bitter, bitter tears)
Doctor Who
Eureka
Battlestar Galactica
Corner Gas (thank you, WGN, for getting this one!)

And, if I feel like continuing my vegetation:
Bionic Woman
Chuck
Rescue Me
Lost

I had high hopes for Bionic Woman and Chuck, but the former is losing me fast, and the latter seems to have used up all its funny in the pilot. Rescue Me needs to get its narrative act together for next season, and Lost? Meh.

Posted by Adam Rakunas on Tuesday October 09, 2007 at 10:46 AM